


Don't Come Back For Me

by amelie_shimada



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-16
Updated: 2020-01-16
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:53:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22275139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amelie_shimada/pseuds/amelie_shimada
Summary: When Reaper is captured, Amelie chooses to literally face her past.
Relationships: Genji Shimada/Angela "Mercy" Ziegler, Hanzo Shimada/Widowmaker | Amélie Lacroix, Jesse McCree/Sombra | Olivia Colomar
Comments: 2
Kudos: 31





	Don't Come Back For Me

It started with the alarms. Then Athena’s voice checking in on her through the speakers. She did not finish instructing her to wait for someone to retrieve her before there was a pounding on the door. She heard Hanzo call her name, and Amelie rushed to open it.

He and Genji rushed in, the latter closing the door firmly behind them.

“Are you alright?” Hanzo asked, his eyes searching her person and surroundings for any sign of foul play. His bow and quiver of arrows seemed wildly out of place in the gentle world of her little room. Genji fidgeted with his shuriken, producing and retracting them from their compartment in his arm. “What’s going on?” she asked.

The brothers glanced at each other, then back to her. “Athena didn’t tell you?” Genji asked.

She shook her head. Hanzo’s eyes were solemn. He stepped in front of her, placing his free hand on her shoulder. “It’s Reaper. He’s been captured here, infiltrating the base.”

Amelie started to tremble. She already knew the next part. She had heard the words a thousand times and in a hundred different ways, but only in her nightmares.

“It appears he was coming after you.”

The world around her lost focus as reality set in. The next thing she knew, she was being wrapped in the solid warmth of Hanzo’s embrace. She felt the softness of his shirt against her cheek. It was one he often wore on casual evenings, when he would come by to relax. It was probably the closest thing by his bed when he had been alerted to the threat. This was a shirt for late night movies and quiet Saturday mornings. Not for carrying his quiver and shedding blood. It was a tiny violation that echoed the bigger one. She shuddered.

“It’s alright,” he said softly. “He’s already in custody. We are going to wait here until we get confirmation that he is completely secured.”

The medical team had been preparing for this.. Dozens of hours spent theorizing, debating, testing, and reevaluating ways to contain the man made of smoke. She looked at Genji. Angela was most likely down there in the thick of things. She would be one of the first to know if they failed to keep Reaper at bay. Amelie could only imagine how Genji must feel, being here protecting her, instead of his beloved. As if sensing her thoughts, Genji turned toward her, clicking his faceplate off. Amelie had learned he did this sometimes when he felt eye contact was important.

“It will be alright,” he said. “We wait for the signal.”

Amelie nodded. She squeezing her eyes shut against the tears pricking at them. She did not deserve the loyalty of the people of Overwatch. She was one of them now. They were her people. And Talon sought to change that.

The all clear came faster than Amelie would have thought. She was glad everyone was safe, but the news brought a different sense of dread. She could have stayed away; Hanzo and Genji assured her over and over there was nothing she needed to do. Hanzo would of course stay with her. But the men didn’t press her when she insisted on going to the holding cell with them. The idea of just staying put in her room was unfathomable. She needed to see for herself. There was no thought of what she might do or say once she got there, she just knew she had to go.

Amelie walked down the hall, flanked by Hanzo and Genji. The brothers kept their weapons at the ready, their training too good to allow them to rest just yet. She tried not to think about what they were guarding against. Sombra had abandoned Talon before Amelie’s rescue; the others were still there as far as she knew. Was one of them waiting in the shadows to rip her from the life she’d built here?

She wrapped her open sweater tightly around her. It hadn’t crossed her mind that she might want to change. But now her running tights, tank, and soft sweater seemed wildly inappropriate. The attire of a weak target who needs protecting. 

No. Zenyatta’s therapy sessions kicked in. She was strong. Stronger than she’d ever been while wearing Talon armor. 

Suddenly, they were at the door. When she paused, Hanzo moved to catch her eye. She saw the question in the deep brown of his gaze, as clear as if he’d spoken out loud. 

Are you sure? 

Amelie knew he would bring her back to her room right away, no questions asked. 

There was a slight waver in her resolve, but she tamped it down. She nodded. 

He opened the door.

The heavy door swung open. The observation room was dim, lit mostly by the light from the other side of the two-way glass. Angela, Brigitte, Torb, and Zenyatta were there. Genji walked past Amelie and straight to Angela. They embraced, and then spoke quietly, their heads close together. Everyone was using hushed tones, as if they were at a funeral or a deathbed. Then again, she thought, look who they were holding.

Amelie finally made herself look through the glass. In the stark fluorescent lighting, Reaper looked less imposing. Underneath the mask and coat, his posture bespoke more of a tired old man than a ruthless terrorist. He sat at a plain metal table, McCree across from him. They were either speaking too low, or the volume on the speaker was down too far for her to hear.

Hanzo placed a hand on her shoulder. She covered it with one of her own. His quiet strength stilled her churning thoughts. Torbjorn shuffled towards them.

“McCree seems to be doin’ the best with him,” he said, jutting his chin toward the glass. “Reyes is set on ruffling people up. Ana and I had to forcefully remove Morrison.”

Jack and Ana. That’s who was missing.

“But,” Torbjorn said, “Jesse seems to be doing alright. He knows the old man’s tricks and isn’t puttin’ up with any of it.”

She looked through the glass at the cowboy. She had not spent much time with Jesse McCree since she’d joined Overwatch. She had no particular reason to avoid him; it was just something that seemed to happen over time. She hadn’t thought about the strange connection they shared, having been under the command of the same man. Maybe she would seek him out sometime.

Genji turned the sound up on the speaker. It was easy to forget there had been a different version of him, one that was darker and unsettled, who had willing joined Blackwatch as their deadliest asset. Whatever Reaper’s reasons for infiltrating the base, his capture would have profound effects beyond herself.

“Well,” McCree said, standing up from the table. “If you’re not goin’ to say anything interestin,’ I’ll take my leave.” He turned and headed for the door.

“Hey, kid,” Reaper said, the familiar voice sending a cold wind through Amelie.

Through the glass, she saw McCree pause. He turned his head slightly, letting Reaper know he was listening.

“Do me a favor and pass a message to Sombra for me,” he said.

Everyone froze. Sombra was the worst kept secret, and the biggest topic of gossip on base. Everyone knew the rumors – that McCree and Sombra were in contact, and not just in an agent/informant relationship. He wouldn’t confirm anything, but McCree would often be absent for days, returning later with a tan and a bit of weight seemingly off his shoulders. A base full of brave agents, but no one dared ask if the rumors were true. They would just watch as Jesse moved about the base, whistling some song or smiling to himself.

In the cell, McCree hadn’t moved a muscle. Reaper took it as an invitation.

“I need her back on base,” he said mildly. “So tell her to hurry up and finish whoring around with you.”

Angela audibly gasped. Torbjorn swore. Amelie’s gaze darted to McCree’s empty holster, his hand flexing nearby. If he had worn his gun in, she was sure Reaper would already have been dead.

McCree turned a little further, and the look he pinned Reaper with was the coldest Amelie had ever seen. But then, to Jesse’s immense credit, he turned away and pushed through the cell door. A moment later, Amelie heard the airlock around the corner release. McCree strode in, across the room, and straight out the door. It banged shut behind him.

An awkward silence filled the observation room.

“At this rate, we’re going to run out of agents,” Torbjorn observed. 

“I’ll go,” Amelie said. 

All eyes turned to her. She forced her voice to remain steady. “He came here for me, so lets give him his wish. It’s time he was put off balance.”

She realized she was angry. An odd emotion, where there had previously been fear and worry. Maybe it was the thought of Sombra’s new life being attacked, or the tension in Genji’s stance, but something had pushed her over the edge. The people here weren’t perfect, but they were good to her, had helped her come back to herself, and even be happy. They were her people now, and she wouldn’t stand by and watch Reaper shatter the little bit of peace they had cultivated here.

“Amelie,” Hanzo’s voice was low, but she could hear the anguish. She turned toward him, and read it all on his face. He wanted to tell her no, but he knew it wasn’t appropriate.

“It’s okay,” she said, and tried for a smile. “It will be alright.”

“I’ll go with you,” he said. She nodded.

“As will I,” Zenyatta said, speaking for the first time since Amelie’s arrival.

“Master,” Genji said, “perhaps I should - “

“No, my student,” Zen replied in his perpetually calm voice, “Neither Hanzo nor I have any connection to Reaper. We offer him fewer opportunities to use the past against us.”

The brothers shared a look. Hanzo nodded, and Genji stepped back. Amelie walked around the corner, Hanzo and Zenyatta falling into place behind her. 

The airlock system was part of the design to keep Reaper from shifting. They stepped in and waited for the doors to seal. A moment later, it was time.

“Well, this is interesting,” Reaper said. Amelie realized he hadn’t noticed her yet, focusing instead on Zenyatta and Hanzo. As they parted before her, she watched her old boss for any reaction. He flinched, ever so slightly. She doubted the others would have even noticed.

Good, she thought. Be uncomfortable.

“Ah,” he said, “Just who I was looking for. Hello, Widomaker.”

“I don’t go by that name anymore,” she said. “That part of me is dead.”

“Is that so?” His tone was openly mocking. “I suppose that’s why you’re living on an Overwatch base and working as a sniper? Your team colors have changed, nothing else. You’re still a killer.”

Hanzo let out a low growl.

“So the surveillance was correct,” Reaper continued to Amelie. “You caught yourself a Shimada.”

Amelie’s stomach dropped. Surveillance? She tried to hold the emotions at bay. She didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of her discomfort. The thought of Talon watching not only her, but her and Hanzo as they had grown closer…

Hanzo must be thinking the same thing. She could feel the waves of tension coming from him.

Reaper must have realized he struck a nerve, because he turned directly to Hanzo. “It’s the cold skin, isn’t it? It feels wrong, like a corpse, but kind of good at the same time?”

Hanzo lunged, tossing the metal table aside like it was paper. His name came off her lips like a gunshot. Hanzo stopped, inches from Reaper’s face. There was a subtle buzz of blue energy around his arms. If she could see his face, she knew she would see that same light taking root there.

“Please leave us,” she said. “Both of you.”

Hanzo stalked away, barely glancing at her. Zenyatta met her eyes as he followed, and she knew her friend would see to Hanzo for the time being.

The door closed and depressurized, leaving her effectively alone with the man of her nightmares.

Now that the table was out of the way, she could see that he was shackled to the floor.

Amelie sat down in the chair across from him, calling on every memory of what it was like to be unfeeling. No concern. No fear.

“You came here for me, now I’m here. Talk.”

“I didn’t come here for conversation. I came to bring you back where you belong.”

“I’m never going back.”

“Sure you will,” he said. If not with me, if not this time, then with someone else later. These people aren’t your friends, Widowmaker. They may enjoy having you as their charity case for now, but you know you’ll never be good enough. You’ll always be a Talon agent. We made you strong, we perfected you and gave you purpose. You will always belong to us.“

"I do not belong to you anymore,” she said, “And I never will again.” She stood to go.

“You shouldn’t have come looking for the Widowmaker. She’s gone.”

“We’ll see,” he said, his voice crawling like smoke along the floor.

She turned to go.

“What?” he said, “No speech about how Overwatch changed you and how they can help me, too? No promises of tireless efforts to mend my mind and body?”

“I won’t waste my time telling you things you already know. Accept the help or don’t. Goodbye, Reaper.”

“Until next time, then.”

“No, this is goodbye. I have no more business to conduct with the Reaper.” She paused at the door. “Spending so much time here, I’ve been able to hear about who Gabriel Reyes was. If he ever comes back, I would like to meet him.”

“Reyes is dead,” he ground out.

She shrugged. “That’s what I thought about Amelie. I was pleased to find out I was wrong.”

And with that, she went through the doors.

The trembling started outside the first door. Amelie felt it in her limbs, moving inward toward her core. By the time she exited the airlock, she needed a minute to compose herself.

It was over. Done.

She would keep her word. She wouldn’t go back to see Reaper. No good would come of it.

She had forgotten about the others in the observation room. She had been so laser focused that her world had shrunken to the size of Reaper’s cell. But there they were. Angela, Genji, Torbjorn, Brigitte, and Zenyatta, all of them giving her looks of approval. She felt some weight lift from her shoulders, but it soon was replaced by worry. 

Hanzo was standing in the corner by the exterior door. Amelie’s logical mind understood that the area was shadowy because of the light from the observation mirror, but it still looked for all the world like her beloved had gathered the darkness around him to match his mood. But when his eyes met hers, there was no anger, only pleading. He felt remorse for his outburst earlier.

She reached for his hand, and he stepped out of the shadows to take it.

The cool night air was a welcome relief from the staleness of the observation room. Amelie breathed deeply. Something had shifted tonight. She felt freer than before. She knew she would want to analyze why this was so the next time she met with Zenyatta, but for now it was enough just to feel the tension uncoiling from her body.

The walked in silence, the only sounds being those of their footsteps on the pavement. The scent of a familiar cigarette brand kissed the air. As they came to the corner of the building, they saw McCree leaning against the wall. At first glance, he may have looked casual, but there was an unmistakable tension in his posture.

Amelie stopped walking, and Hanzo with her. Seeing him now, Amelie realized that she would probably never look at Jesse McCree the same way again. He wasn’t just another odd Overwatch agent who answered the recall; not just an eccentric modern cowboy. He had been a promising young agent who watched his beloved captain self-destruct. Sombra would not have a sustained relationship with just anyone; the walls around her heart were stronger than any security measure she could ever program.

She stepped forward. Jesse didn’t bother to look up. She took a deep breath, and asked the question.

“..Is she safe?”

McCree looked up then. The wariness melted away some.

“Yes,” he said.

“Good,” Amelie said. “Sombra was the closest thing I had to a friend. I wasn’t able to feel any of it, but she treated me like one. I hope she is well. I hope I see her again someday.”

Jesse nodded. Amelie was confident her message would be received.

She and Hanzo continued on their way. As if by some unspoken agreement, they stopped at one of the many spots on the base that overlooked the water.

“I should not have done that,” Hanzo finally said. She turned to him. “I allowed Reaper to get under my skin, and in turn I let you down.”

“Hanzo…” she said, reaching for him. She wanted to soothe the pain in his voice. She wrapped her arms around his neck. He pulled her closer.

“Forgive me,” he whispered roughly.

“There’s nothing to forgive,” she replied, pressing closer. It was good just to be here. To feel the comfort of being close.

“I do like the way your skin feels, you know.”

“What?” Amelie asked. She pulled back a bit to look at Hanzo’s face. Concern was written there.

“The coolness of your skin,” he said. “I like it. It’s comforting.”

“I’m glad,” she said, playing with the lock of hair at his brow.

“It’s just that…Reaper made it sound so…wrong.”

Ah. So that was it. Amelie chuckled.

“What?” Hanzo said, exasperated. She started to giggle. He leveled her with a playful glare. “This is you telling me not to worry about it, isn’t it?”

“Yes, my love,” she said. “I’m glad you like the feel of my skin. I would be very disappointed if you suddenly stopped wanting to touch me.”

“You never need to worry about that,” he said. 

Warmth flooded her cheeks. She smiled as he leaned in for a kiss. Each day took them farther and farther away from the past. And she couldn’t wait to see what their future would hold.


End file.
